Boys' Outtakes

We have had the craziest weather here and I haven't been able to take Gideon's 4 year pictures or Asher's 18 month pictures.  SO we finally have had some decent days and decided to go for it!  The first park we went to still had too  much flooding to really get a lot of pictures, so we headed off to a second park with more options.  We still had to avoid lots of puddles and mushy grass, but it worked out OK.  I love to share some of the funny pictures that will not be printed or sent to anyone... 

Here is Asher thinking this is a fun game.

 

I told Gideon to put his hands on his hips and he didn't have a clue what I meant, so I placed his hands there . . . looks very natural, huh?!? OK, maybe not.

Asher was in rare form, he knew exactly what was going on and he would smile a naughty grin and then turn away as quickly as he could.   

Check out his eyes on this one . . . what a stinker!!

 Gideon tried really hard to cooperate, but that proved difficult with Briella finding cool or dirty things to show him and Dad trying to keep Asher happy and clean.

 In the end, the best smiles came when I said, "Asher, show me your tummy!!"

 Well, I did capture a few cute ones that I will edit and share later . . . We are loving the sunshine here in MI :)
Emily

Upcoming Birthdays

 My baby is turning one next week and my firstborn will be 5 the following week!  It was time for a little photo shoot :)  We went to a nearby park so the kids could play while waiting.  I thought I would share a few of the cute ones that didn't make the cut to be printed . . . if only I was a little savvier with my camera and wiser about lighting . . . then they would all be wonderful!!  Enjoy.

 

Mother's Day 2012

 Every Mother's Day I make sure to get a picture of me with the kids.  As we add kids this is becoming a little bit challenging.  So since there was no great picture, I'm going to share the three semi-respectable ones we got.   

 Does it look like Asher needs a haircut?!?  I am thinking so . . . he has a patch of long hairs on the top that are quite obvious in these pictures ;)

 Last week, Asher was a little off on his naps and rather cranky after dinner . . . I was going to quick grab a drink and do something before feeding him so he could go to bed!  Within a minute he went from whining to this:

Sleeping face down on the floor with the kids playing right there!  I couldn't believe it, poor kid was T.I.R.E.D. 

8 months?!?

Our little Asher is 8 months old already.  I have checked my math more than once because I can't believe it . . . I'm right, it has been 8 months!  He also has 8 teeth.  He weighs 17.4 pounds.  He is finally sitting up on his own now that I've had him practice a little.  He is also up on all fours quite frequently ...maybe next month he'll be crawling?!?  He is eating lots of different foods and loving it, especially when Briella volunteers to feed him!  (She loves to feed him while I'm getting lunch or dinner ready and it is very helpful!!  I get to keep the food moving and eat a hot meal when it's ready rather than feed him while my food gets cold--it is a lovely little arrangement.  There is a little extra face wiping required when Briella is in charge, but I'm OK with that)
Despite having a cold/cough Asher is still a smiley guy!  We are so thankful for a mostly healthy and very happy little boy :)

Gideon is 3

My Boys

 It has been a few weeks already, but I did take some 6 month shots of Asher and wanted to share a few of his best expressions.  Gideon is turning three soon, so we did a little photo shoot with him outside the other night.  He had some fun faces, too.  Such cute little boys and so much fun to have around.  We are blessed!

Monster Trucks

 A good friend of Stephan's got tickets to the monster truck show and invited Stephan and Gideon along.  Gideon was a little concerned when I told him it might be noisy (he is actually quite sensitive to noise!?!?!), but he ended up having a blast.  He was so excited to tell me how they crashed and smashed cars.  He also said at least three times that he did not like the teeth one . . . must have been on the side of a truck, Stephan wasn't even sure what he was talking about.  Gideon really liked the bus one :)  He told me that at least three times when he got home, too.
Speaking of three . . . Gideon is very excited to turn free on March twenty free.  I should teach him to show three fingers, but he only has singers on his hands and I'm not sure if he can put free singers up, we'll see :)  He often talks about going in the ban to various places and I realize now why he calls the van a ban, he sings the alphabet ABC  (yada yada) T U B W X Y and Z.  He has no V which leads to much confusion.  We'll keep working on the correct pronunciation of Finger, THRee, and Van . . .

  

Jump Around

I'm not sure how this little 'game' even started . . . but I'm pretty sure it was Gideon's idea.  He loves jumping and finds new and dangerous ways to test his 'skills.'  Briella is often in the background telling him it is dangerous or to be careful. So they were using the balls as stairs to reach the top of the couch and then jumping onto the couch.  Anyway, you'll notice the supportive parent in the background trying to keep things safer.  After said safety-conscious parent suggested trying to land on their butts rather than just jumping to land on feet or knees, it took Gideon two seconds to figure out the new and improved jump with gusto.  Briella on the other hand needed lessons and hand holding (literally) to get her to attempt such feats. I do think the real safety police captured some great air shots :)

 Here is a picture of Asher's TWO teeth!

 

Five Months

 Asher is 5 months old now!  He weighs 17 pounds, unofficially . . . and this morning I felt his first tooth!  He is about a pound ahead of Briella and Gideon at 5 months.  I checked their calendars and they both had their first tooth around 7 1/2 months!?! Not sure I like this news, but oh well, not much I can do!  Asher has been shoving his fingers and various toys in his mouth a lot recently so I have been checking for teeth and this morning was the first time I felt tooth rather than a hard bump.  So the drooling will probably continue for months and months . . . which is why one of my next sewing projects is going to be bibs!
I can't take a picture of one without these two goofballs wanting in on the action!  Here are my smiling sweethearts :)

Craftiness

 I finally found some time to do some sewing projects on my 'new' sewing machine I am buying from my Mom.  I made Asher a little monster taggie, a mini version of Gideon's.  Asher promptly broke it in with some drool . . .

 I added his name to one of the legs for a personal touch . . . I'm not sure if it my lack of embroidery experience, or the difficulty of embroidering on the fleece, but it was hard to make neat letters! Must have been the fabric ;O

 Stephan built these doll bunk beds for Briella as a Christmas gift and I sewed some 'mattresses' and pillows to go with them.  She is pretty excited about her bed and there have been babies sleeping in it ever since!!  (In the background you can see our new glider rocker from Grandma VM, we love it!!)

 After a two week break, we are back to our preschool letters . . . we made ice cream for I last week.  Briella is getting better at writing her name and coloring and it is fun to see her learn!  She has progressed from scribbling in the vicinity of the shape with one color to using different colors on the picture and staying closer to the lines.  I didn't realize this slow progression, but I'm thankful she has made some progress, because I was starting to wonder if she was just a messy colorer.